1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illumination light and an illumination device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An illumination light that is capable of performing a lighting operation by being connected to an inverter ballast (a light fitting in a broad sense) for turning on a fluorescent light without any change has been known. Examples of this kind of illumination light include an illumination light that uses a semiconductor light emitting element, such as a light emitting diode (LED) illumination light.
As LED illumination lights have higher luminance efficiency than that of fluorescent lights, they are capable of producing light equivalent to that of fluorescent lights at a lower power consumption compared to the fluorescent lights. However, if an LED illumination light is connected to a light fitting without any change in order to perform a lighting operation, the light fitting supplies, to the LED illumination light, the electric power equivalent to that in a case where a fluorescent light is connected, and therefore the power consumption that occurs in an LED load of the LED illumination light is more than necessary.
Therefore, a technique in which an inductance is connected to the LED load of such an LED illumination light (what is called, wiring-work free LED illumination light) so that a reactive power is generated in the LED illumination light and the power saving can be achieved is known (for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-243331 and Japanese Patent No. 5266594).
However, according to the above-described technique, as the inductance is used to generate a reactive power, if a faulty operation, such as a power shutdown, occurs while the energy is stored in the inductance, a counter electromotive force (high voltage) is generated and there is a possibility that the light fitting, which is connected to the illumination light, is damaged.
In view of the above, there is a need to provide an illumination light and an illumination device with which the power saving can be achieved and the safety can be improved.